cybersyn and the socialist internet

i'm indebted to vaux for bringing to my attention the extraordinary cybersyn project of early 1970s chile - an attempt at using information technology to enable a centralised planned economy, a 'socialist internet' years ahead of its time. [in fact, to call it an internet is misleading - it was a centralising system not an emergent one - the factories were not expected to collaborate with each other except via the state. but i find the term 'socialist internet' provocative.]

unfortunately it didn't really get going before pinochet's military coup brought the whole socialist experiment to an unpleasant end. the operations room [below] was a marvellous space - like the entire project, it's 70s science fiction made real. but the metal inserts on the lefthand arms of the chairs - are they ashtrays?

Comments

[Nic]

Now I think about it, this is so obviously 'up your pipe'. Thanks for the HT on behalf of 'Apple'.
Also, if you have any interesting thoughts on the relationship of Technology and Theology please feel free to post something on the Apple blog. We're blowing the Vaux thing wide open— opensource theology, swarm fictions.
Hope to see you on the 17th.

[steve collins]

i hope that we're meeting in a room like this on the 17th! this is the new vaux chapterhouse...